Power driven plumber snake



Aug. 30, 1966 5H1 BOLLINGFLR POWER DRIVEN PLUMBER SNAKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 1, 1964 INVENTOR. BURTON J. BOLLINGER BLMMW ATTORNEYS Aug.30, 1966 B. J. BOLLINGER 3,268,937

POWER DRIVEN PLUMBER SNAKE Filed June 1, 1964 2 sheets' sheet 2 s1 56 52as 20 Fl G I- 2 INVENTOR.

BURTON J. BOLLINGER ATTORNE YS United States Patent 3,263,937 PUWERDRIVEN PLUMEER SNAKE Burton .7. ltollinger, 10232 Tinker Ave, 'lujunga,Calif. Filed June It, 1964, Ser. No. 371,679 2t) Clainis. (Cl. -1043)This invention relates to drain and waste pipe cleaner devices and moreparticularly to a hand operated, power driven, flexible cable type ofcleaner device for small diameter sanitary drain or waste lines.

Cleaning tools for small diameter drains or waste pipes, and which areusually entered into the drain or line through a plumbing fixture, drainreceptable or fixture trap, are in wide use. Such tools utilize aflexible but strong cable having an attached head auger that is insertedin the pipe system which is to be cleaned. The cable, which is usuallyreferred to as a snake, is typically in the form of a helically woundelement which can be rotated about its longitudinal axis withoutsubstantial uncoiling. The snake is also flexible in the lateraldirection, however, to the extent that it is free to follow a smallconduit, but not so supple that it buckles within the conduit. Thus, thesnake. can be inserted within a conduit and advanced within the conduituntil the head encounters a trap or an obstruction. Then, the head augercan be worked through the trap or obstruction by repeated forcefulrotation and lengthwise thrusting. Because of the varying sizes ofconduit that 'may be encountered, the different degrees of bend in theconduit and the types of obstructions which are likely to be presented,diiferent snake diameters may be required for different applications.When power driven by hand-held electric tools, devices of this characterare referred to as elecrtic hand snakes.

Many of the power driven mechanisms are so heavy and complex that theymust be mounted on a wheeled structure for transport to and from workingpositions. In these larger devices a length of snake is coiled in a cageor drum, which is normally closed except for a relatively small openingfor the snake. The snake is fed through an engaging clutch which can berotated with or separately from the drum, so that the snake may beadvanced along its longitudinal axis by using the outer helical grooveas a lead screw.

Hand-held, electrically powered mechanisms for the same purpose utilizea hand power tool as the source of motive power. The snake is fed from arotating cage through a chuck which may be engaged or disengaged torotate the snake with the cage as desired. Such prior electric handsnakes suffer from a number of disadvantages and usually lack one ormore of a number of desirable features. The tools usually operate athigh rates of speed, and the length of cable between the end of thecable housing and the drain opening is loose and apt to whip.Additionally, the cage constitutes an exposed rotary member which isinconvenient to the operator and which splashes water undesirably.Further, the snake is usually loose within the cage. The hand tools alsodo not permit interchange of snake sizes without complete unreeling ofone size and reeling in of another size. Because the cage rotates andthe chuck must be manually engaged, the assembly must be held by anoperator at all times. In the event of power failure, the snake is notusable.

The speed and ease with which a power driven snake "ice member may beused under various practical conditions is of course of primaryimportance. When no obstructions or confined paths are encountered, asnake may be fed at a relatively high speed. With a hand tool, it issometimes desirable to rotate the cage while feeding out snake by hand.On reaching an obstruction, however, the power drive must rotate thesnake continuously while longitudinal thrust is simultaneously exertedalong the length of the snake. For convenient feeding of the snake andhandling of the power tool, it is usually necessary to hold the powertool some distance away from the mouth of the conduit being cleaned,until the obstruction is penetrated. This tends to leave a length ofunsupported snake cable between the tool and the conduit for a time, theunsupported length being subject to buckling when longitudinal thrust isexerted on the snake. With prior mechanisms, considerable skill must beexerted to prevent buckling under these conditions.

At the same time, there are other desirable features for mechanisms ofthis type. A closed cage arrangement, for example, makes it difiicult toclean and inspect the snake. It is also desirable to have some sort ofsplash protection as the cage is rotated, particularly if an open cageis used. This splash protection should preferably, with hand operatedtools, he provided by a stationary member. Along with this, it issometimes desirable that the device be usable as a stationary unit. Forsome applications, the operator may prefer to operate the device by useof a foot switch, while feeding and guiding the snake manually usingboth hands. The mechanisms which employ manually operated chucks orrotating cages obviously are unsuited for such situations.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved power driven hand type of conduit cleaner using a flexiblecable.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved electric handsnake which may be electrically controlled to provide dilferent modes ofoperation.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an extremleyversatile hand-held power snake mechanism having a stationary housingand means to avoid cable whipping.

A further object of the invention is to provide a power snake mechanismwhich can be operated by hand if desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a versatile powerdriven snake member which may be arranged for manual operation, andwhich also permits ready interchange of snakes of dilferent sizes.

Power driven conduit cleaner mechanisms in accordance with the inventionutilize an interchangeable cage construction, together with a drivemember centrally disposed along the axis of the cage. The drive memberis advanced or retracted relative to the cage, so as to selectivelyengage the snake and cage to the drive mechanism. Alternatively, thecage and snake may be locked so as to rotate with the drive member,although leaving the snake free for manual withdrawal from the cage. Thearrangement thus provides an automatic chucking mechanism controlledsolely by the power switch, although at the same time the rotatingelements are protected by a stationary outer structure.

In a specific example of an electric hand snake in accordance with theinvention, a hand-held power tool is engaged to selectively rotate adrive screw in the form of a threaded shaft member having a resilient,bulletnosed locking tip, and a longitudinal slot extending along a partof its length. An open cable cage assembly containing a snake cable of aselected diameter and having a forward neck portion with a cone-shapedexit aperture for feeding the snake cable in and out of the cage issupported on the drive screw by a hub-shaped screw holder. The screwholder is disposed on the central axis of the cage assembly and has acentral aperture which is threaded to receive the drive screw. Atwo-position lock member mounted on the screw holder may selectively bemanually engaged in the outer slot in the drive screw. The cable is fedout of the exit aperture in the neck portion of the cage assemblythrough a fixed inner guide tube, about which is positioned atelescopically movable outer tube. A fixed outer container or splash panis afiixed to the housing of the power tool and arranged to encompass atleast a part of the outer periphery of the cage assembly when the powertool and cage assembly are engaged for operation.

For this arrangement, any cage containing a suitable size of snake maybe mounted on or removed from the drive mechanism. An automatic chuckingoperation is achieved by control of the tool rotation, because the drivescrew may be advanced within the screw holder to wedge the locking tipand the snake against the cage, or'reversed to withdraw the drive screwand to free the snake. For normal snake feeding operations, in which nosubstantial obstruction is encountered, the mechanism is used with thetelescoping tube in its retracted position, and with the locking tip onthe drive screw out of engagement with the snake and the cone-shapedaperture of the cage. The snake may then be fed out by hand. The cageand the snake may also be rotated together by pivoting the two-positionlocking member down into the slot extending longitudinally along thedrive screw. Actuation of the power tool in a given direction thenrotates the cage, and the snake may be withdrawn rapidly from orreturned to the cage during rotation in this manner. If desired, thetool can be operated in a separate mode, by using the lock and powerswitch as an automatic chuck. In this mode, the snake is fed into aconduit by hand. When an obstruction is encountered the snake is rotatedwith the cage by the power drive, and forced through to the other sideof the obstruction. The power can then be turned oif and the cableadvanced by hand until the next obstruction. This mechanism maytherefore be retained in a holder or within a case, and the automaticchucking feature can be used with a foot switch, leaving both hands freeto manipulate the snake cable. By completely enclosing the structure theproblems of splashing are eliminated, although at the same time the opencage arrangement has the advantage of permitting easy cleaning and fastdrying. The stationary splash pan may be mounted within separate partsof a hand tool having a gear reduction drive and which therefore is muchmore readily controllable than prior mechanisms.

For interchange of cable sizes, the power tool need merely be rotated inreverse and the drive member withdrawn out of the cage, and thereafterthreaded into the screw holder of a new cage containing a different sizeof snake cable. The mechanism is seen to be such that a manual drivescrew arrangement will readily substitute for the power driven drivescrew.

A better appreciation of the invention may be had by reference to thefollowing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a power drivencable cleaner mechanism in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view, taken along the line 33 of FIG.2, of the arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the locking mechanism of thearrangement;

FIG. 5 is a side-sectional view of an alternative arrangement, showing amanual drive mechanism which may be utilized with a given cage in placeof the power tool shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a conduitcleaning installation, showing the manner in which the assembly may besubstantially completely enclosed and operated by a foot switch.

An electric hand snake type of conduit cleaner 10 in accordance with theinvention, referring now to FIG. 1, may be operated with a hand heldpower tool 12 such as is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. This may be anyconventional type of power tool, but it is preferred to employ amechanism utilizing a double gearbox in its forward end and providing anoperating speed of approximately 275 r.p.m. A drive hub 14 is mounted onthe output end of the power tool 12 to provide coupling to the membersto be driven. If desired, this drive hub 14 may be integral with themembers described below, and fixed to the power tool 12 shaft by a setscrew or other conventional means (not shown in detail). The power tool12 is controlled in known fashion by a forward-reverse switch 15 and anon-0fi, trigger-type control switch 16. An external housing in the formof a splash pan 18 is mounted fixedly to an intermediate point on thepower tool body, although the splash pan 18 may also be removable ordispensed with entirely, if desired for certain uses. To mount the pan18, the body may be separated and reassembled with the pan 18 inserted.The slight additional gear separation does not affect operation of thetool.

The principal drive element which is attached to the drive hub 14 of thepower tool 12 is a drive screw 20 having external threads andterminating in a ball end 21. A resilient locking member in the form ofa bullet-shaped tip 22 is mounted to swivel on the ball end 21 of thedrive screw 20. The drive screw 20 also includes a longitudinal slot 25milled along the line of its outer periphery.

An open cage assembly 11 for the electric hand snake includes acone-shaped inner portion 30 having a fiat, extended outer ring to whichare attached a plurality of outer rods 32 forming part of the faceportion of the cage. As best seen in FIG. 3, a unitary assembly isprovided by a forward cone-shaped member 34 including a neck portion 35defining a central aperture about the central axis of the cage assembly.The rods 32 extend between the outer ring and the forward member 34. Itwill be noted that the inner cone 30 also contains a central apertureabout the central axis. The inner end 26 of a snake cable 28 of a givendiameter is fixedly coupled to the inner cone 30, and coiled within thecage assembly 11 to a desired length, with the free end extendingoutwardly through the tip 35 in the forward cone 34. The free endterminates in an auger head 29 of enlarged size and appropriate shapefor the cleaning function desired. The cage assembly 11 is arranged toreceive the drive screw 20 through an internally threaded screw holder36 of hub shape which is mounted within the central aperture of theinner cone 30, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. The screw holder 36includes a longitudinal slot within which a locking lever 37 ispivotally mounted. A cap screw 38 mounted in the screw holder 36 mayengage the locking lever 37, and be tightened to provide positivepositioning of the locking lever 37. An inner fixed tube 40 isintegrally couple-d to the neck portion 35 of the forward cone 34 of thecage assembly 11, and extends outwardly from the cage assembly 11 alongthe central axis of the device 10. An outer telescoping tube 42 having aflared base is concentrically mounted with a sliding fit about the innertube 40 and includes an internal circumferential ridge which isengageable to an external circumferential ridge on the inner tube 40 toprovide a limit stop at the extended position of the telescoping tube42. The flared base of the telescoping tube 42 registers with theforward cone member 34- on the cage assembly 11.

Operation of the device of FIGS. 1-4 is typically as follows. To couplethe power tool I12 to the cake assembly 11 and provide .a drive for thesnake cable 28 the direction control switch 15 on the power tool 12 isset for forward rotation and the power tool 12 is turned on by thetrigger control switch 16 as the drive screw 28 is inserted within thescrew holder 36 at the central aperture of the inner cone 30 of the cageassembly 11. When the locking tip on the drive screw 2% has reached someintermediate point, at which it is not obstructing the free egress ofthe snake 28 from the aperture in the neck portion 35 of the cageassembly 11, the snake 28 may be fed out. This may be done manually, andwith or without rotation of the cage. For cage rotation to achievefaster reeling or unreeling the cage assembly 11 is aligned so that thelocking lever 37 is in the same longitudinal plane as the slot 25 alongthe drive screw 29. Then the operator reaches through the opening in therods 32 at the face of the cage assembly 11 and moves the locking lever3'7 into the slot 25 in the drive screw 20, engaging the cage assembly11. to the drive screw 20 so that the cage assembly 11 can be rotated bythe power tool 12. The telescoping tube 42 is held in its retractedposition as the snake is paid out and the head auger 289 is fed downinto the mouth of the conduit which is to be cleaned.

In feeding the snake 28 through relatively open lengths of sewer line,the structure 18 is in this mode held by the handle of the power tool 12with one hand, as the snake 28 is stripped from the reel within the cageassembly 11 with assembly 11 rotating or stationary.

When an obstruction is encountered in. the conduit, however, the headauger 29 can penetrate no further, and the snake 28 may begin to bucklein the exposed space between the month of the conduit and the end of thetubes 40, 42. Accordingly, at this point it is necessary to switch tothe combined rotation and thrusting mode of operation, and this iseffected very simply by mechanisms in accordance with the invention. Thedrive screw 28 is rotated forwardly by the tool 12 as the cage assembly11 is held against rotation until the drive screw 28 reaches its extremeforward position within the cage assembly 11. At this position, theresilient tip 22 on the extremity of the drive screw 20 engages theconforming aperture within the neck portion 35 of the forward cone 3d ofthe cage assembly 11, and wedges and fixedly clamps the snake 28 againstthe neck portion 35. Therefore, the cage assembly 11, the snake 28 andthe drive screw 20 are held together. Actuation of the pOWer tool 12 inthe forward direction rotates the head auger 29 on the snake 28. Duringthis rotation, the tool is thrust forward by the operator, to work theauger 29 through the trap or obstruction. Although the to-ol may be heldaway from the mouth of the conduit, the telescoping tube 42 may now beextended forwardly, and held as the cage assembly 11 rotates. Therefore,the snake 28 may be rotated and forced through the obstruction underlongitudinal force although being constrained against buckling andwhipping. The automatic chucking feature is derived from the fact thatreversal of the direction of rotation withdraws the locking tip 22 fromthe neck 35 releasing the snake 28. The snake 28 may thus be drivenunder power or released simply by change of motor direction.

Once the conduit is cleaned, it is only require-d to withdraw the snake28 from the conduit, and this is accomplished by reversing the rotationof the drive screw 20 while maintaining the cage assembly 11 relativelyimmobile, until the resilient tip 22 is clearly out of engagement withthe snake 28. The snake 28 can be fed back with the cage assembly 11stationary or the locking lever 37 may then again be engaged in the slot25, so that the cage assembly 11 can be rotated to permit faster reelingof the snake from within the conduit. When the snake 28 has again beenreeled to the starting position, the locking lever 37 may be released iflocked, and the drive screw 2% rotated to be retracted from the cageassembly 11 simply by actuating the power tool 12 in the reversedirection. The snake 28 may then be inspected and cleaned through theopen face of the cage assembly 11. The open cage construction isadvantageous as well because the mechanism dries more readily andrapidly. In cold climates the snake often becomes frozen in the cage, aproblem which is greatly reduced and much more readily corrected bydevices in accordance with the invention.

During conduit cleaning operations, protection from the rotating cageassembly 11 is afforded to the operator by the stationary outer splashpan 18. Consequently, there is a combination of useful features whichare not provided by prior art devices. The automatic chucking feature,plus the telescoping front tube, permit an operator to meet eachdifferent operating condition with a simple adjustment.

With mechanisms in accordance with the invention, it is now convenientto utilize a single power tool with a number of different cageassemblies, each of them having a different length and diameter of snakecable. In previously known devices, the entire snake had to be unreeled,and a new snake size reeled in. Note that the structure of thearrangements of FIGS. 1-4 is such that the power tool can be manuallydisengaged from the cage assembly in the event that this is desirable,simply by rotating the cage assembly until the drive screw of the powertool is released. In the event that power is not available or the toolfails, a manual drive mechanism as shown in FIG. 5 may alternatively beused. The manual drive mechanism 5d of FIG. 5 includes an elongatedmember 52 having an offset rotatable turning handle 54 at one end, andan intermediate support handle 55. At its opposite end, the elongatedmember 52 is provided with a drive screw 28, and a longitudinal slot 25,in the manner of the drive screw 20 of FIGS. 1-4. At the termination ofthis member, a ball pivot 2llis provided which supports a resilient,bullet-shaped locking tip 22 in the fashion of the arrangementpreviously described.

The manual drive mechanism of FIG. 5 may be inserted by threading intothe cage assembly 11 of FIGS. 1-4 and locked by movement of the lockinglever 37 into the slot 25. When a trap or obstruction is encountered,the drive screw 20 is rotated relative to the cage until the swiveledtip 22' is engaged firmly to the snake 28 and to the lower cone 34 ofthe cage assembly. Then a combined rotational and longitudinal forcingis commenced to urge the auger through the obstruction as described forthe power driven arrangement. The telescoping tube 42 and the automaticchucking feature may again be utilized as previously discussed, and nomodification of the cage assembly, or change of reels, is needed.

The advantages and versatility of the present device are evident in theexample of use illustrated in FIG. 6. Here the cleaner 10 is mountedwithin a carrying case 60, with the snake 28 extending through anaperture in the case. A separate cage 62 having a different size snakemay also be stored and transported within the case. The controls for themotor of the power tool are externally connected to a conventional footswitch 65 having an on-off lever 66.

To work in a confined space, or under special conditions, therefore, theoperator can control clutching by means of the foot switch 65, whilemanipulating the snake 28 with both hands. The locking lever is firstengaged, so that the snake 28 rotates whenever the tool is turned on.The operator can then feed the snake manually into the conduit until anobstruction is reached. At this point the switch 65 is operated, and thesnake 28 is rotated under power to clear the obstruction, after which itmay be again fed manually. Alternatively, the foot switch may bearranged with the motor circuits to provide a forward-reverse control,and operation similar to that described above in conjunction with FIGS.l3- The system is not only compact and fully protected but alsocompletely ensures against water splash during operation.

While there have been described above and illustrated in the drawingsvarious form of cable-type conduit cleaners in accordance with theinvention, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limitedthereto. Accordingly, the invention should be considered to include allmodifications, variations and alternative forms fall ing within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A conduit cleaner mechanism for driving a flexible cable comprising acable cage having a threaded rear aperture and a front aperture, a cablenormally wound within the cage and extending through the front aperture,2. drive means extending into the cable cage including a shaft threadedto mate with the rear aperture and a terminal portion adapted to engagethe periphery of the front aperture of the cable cage at an extremeforward position therein, said shaft being threadable along said rearaperture to provide different extends of insertion within said cablecage, means mounted on the drive means for engaging the cable cage at aselected extent of insertion thereof, and power means coupled to thedrive means and independent of said cable cage for rotating the drivemeans to said extreme forward position, thereby to rotate the drivemeans, cable and cable cage in locked relation.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, and including in addition astationary splash plate coupled to the power means and at leastpartially encompassing the cable cage, and a telescoping tube mechanismmounted on the cable cage and extending from the front aperture thereof.

3. A conduit cleaner mechanism for driving a flexible cable Within aconduit comprising a cage assembly adapted to contain a length offlexible cable, a rotatable drive member adaptable for insertion into acentral portion of the cage assembly, said drive member forciblyengaging said cable and said cage assembly in an extreme positiontherein, locking means attached to the cage assembly for locking thedrive member at selected positions therein, and means coupled to saiddrive member for rotating said drive member and said cage assembly inorder to effect the rotation of the flexible cable which may be extendedfrom the cage assembly into a sewer conduit.

4. A conduit cleaner mechanism for driving a flexible cable within aconduit comprising a cable cage assembly, a flexible cable normallycoiled within said cage assembly and coupled thereto, the cable cageassembly including an aperture through which said cable extends, androtatable drive means coupled to said cage assembly, said drive meansincluding means for engaging the cage assembly alone and rotating saidcage assembly therewith, and further including means for engaging thecable and cage assembly and forceably rotating both said cable and cageassembly.

5. A conduit cleaner mechanism for alternatively forcibly rotating orfreeing a cleaner cable, under operation of a rotary drive member alone,comprising a cable cage having rear and front apertures, a cablenormally reeled within the cable cage and extending through the frontaperture, a drive member extending through the rear aperture of the cageand mechanically engaged therein and adapted to advance and retractrelative to the cage on rotation in opposite directions respectively,the drive member supporting the cage and including terminal meansbinding the cable to the cage at the extreme front position such thatthe cable and cage are rotated with the drive member, and means coupledto the drive member for rotating the drive member selectively in eitherdirection, such that the cable is forcibly rotated by use of onedirection of rotation, and freed by use of the other.

6. An arrangement for driving a flexible cable for clearing obstructionsfor a sewer conduit or the like comprising a cage assembly forcontaining a length of flexible cable to be used in clearing a conduit,a rotatable drive member adapted for insertion within the cage assemblyalong a central axis thereof, means mounted on the drive member forengaging the cage assembly at a selected extent of insertion of thedrive member within the cage assembly, means for rotating the drivemember and the cage assembly in order to rotate a flexible cableextending from the cage assembly, and pivotable locking means mounted onthe cage assembly and engaging the drive member for locking the .drivemember to the cage assembly when the drive member is inserted to lessthan the selected extent.

7. An arrangement for driving a flexible conduit cleaner cablecomprising a cage assembly for containing a length of flexible cable tobe used in clearing a conduit, a rotatable drive member inserted withinand coupled to the cage assembly, the drive member being movable withrespect to the cage assembly to provide different extents of insertiontherein, means mounted on the drive member for engaging the cageassembly at a selected extent of insertion thereof, and means coupled tosaid drive member and independent of said cage assembly for rotating thedrive member to the selected extent of insertion, thereby to rotate thedrive member, cable and cage assembly in locked relation.

8. An arrangement for driving a flexible cable for use in clearingobstructions from a sewer conduit and the like comprising a cageassembly for containing a length of flexible cable and having a neckportion with a central aperture through which the flexible cable may befed, means for anchoring one end of the flexible cable to the cageassembly, a threaded holder affixed to the cage assembly, a drive memberthreaded to engage the holder to control the extent of insertion of thedrive member within the holder, a locking lever arranged to selectivelyprevent relative motion between the drive member and the holder, aresilient locking member coupled to the drive member at the terminalportion thereof within the cage assembly and adapted to clamp theflexible cable against the neck portion in a forward position of thedrive member within the cage assembly in order to prevent the cable frommoving in or out of the cage assembly, and means for rotating the drivemember and the attached cage assembly selectively in one direction orthe other in order to force the flexible cable to clear an obstructionfrom a sewer conduit.

9. A drive member for a rotatable conduit cleaner mechanism utilizing aflexible cable and a cage mechanism containing the cable, comprising adrive member including a threaded portion adapted to engage a portion ofthe cage mechanism and extending therein for advancing the drive memberto various selected positions within the cage mechanism, a surfaceportion of the drive member being configured to receive a locking memberaffixed to the cage mechanism for preventing relative rotation betweenthe drive member and the cage mechanism, a resilient locking tip coupledto one end of the drive member and adapted to wedge the flexible cableagainst the particular portion of the cage mechanism at a forwardposition of the drive member, and a shaft portion to which torque may beapplied to rotate the drive member.

10. A drive member in accordance with claim 9 wherein the shaft isengaged to a power actuated driving tool.

11. A drive member in accordance with claim 9 wherein the shaft includesan offset portion together with at least one handle for permittingmanual rotation of the drive member.

12. A conduit cleaner mechanism for driving a flexible cable within aconduit comprising a cage assembly adapted to contain a length offlexible cable, a rotatable drive member threaded through a centralportion of the cage assembly, means attached to the cage assembly forlocking the drive member at selected positions therein, hand power toolmeans for rotating said drive member relative to said cage assembly inorder to advance and retract the drive member relative to the cageassembly, said drive means including locking tip means engaging theflexible cable substantially fixedly to the cage assembly in the extremeforward position of the drive member within the cage assembly, and aprotective housing encompassing a part of the cage assembly, and fixedto the hand power tool means.

13. A conduit cleaner installation enabling an operator to alternativelyhand and power feed a flexible cleaner cable comprising a container, aconduit cleaner device disposed within the container and including apower tool, a drive member coupled to the power tool, a cable cageassembly disposed within the container, the cage assembly being coupledto and receiving the drive member and independently rotatable withrespect thereto, means for locking the drive member to the cable cageassembly for rotation thereof, flexible cable means wound within andcoupled to the cage assembly and extending from the container, the cablemeans being normally freely movable in and out of the cage assembly, andswitch means external to the container and coupled to control the powertool.

14. An arrangement for driving a flexible cable for use in clearingobstructions from a conduit and the like comprising a cage assembly forcontaining a length of flexible cable and having a neck portion with acentral aperture through which the flexible cable may be fed, means foranchoring one end of the flexible cable to the cage assembly, aninternally threaded central hub affixed to the cage assembly, a drivemember threaded to engage the central hub to vary the extent ofinsertion of the drive member within the central hub on rotation of thedrive member, a locking member coupled to the drive member and adaptedto clamp the flexible cable against the neck portion in a forwardposition of the drive member within the cage assembly in order toprevent the cable from moving in or out of the cage assembly, a hollowtube extending from the neck portion for guiding the flexible cable, anextendible outer tube encompassing the hollow tube for supporting theflexible cable from buckling as it is thrust against an obstructionwithin the conduit, and means for rotating the drive member selectivelyin one direction or the other in order to engage and release theflexible cable from the drive member when an obstruction is encounteredin the conduit.

15. An arrangement for driving a flexible cable for use in clearingobstructions from a sewer conduit and the like comprising a rotatableassembly for containing a length of flexible cable and having a neckportion with a central aperture through which the flexible cable may befed, means for anchoring one end of the flexible cable to the assembly,a threaded screw holder affixed centrally within the cage assembly, adrive member threaded to mate with the screw holder and extending towardthe central aperture of the assembly, the drive member including alongitudinal slot therein, a locking lever attached to the screw holderand arranged to selectively prevent relative motion between the drivemember and the holder, the assembly having at least one opening alongits side of suflicient extent to permit access to operate the lockinglever, a locking member coupled to the drive member at its forward endand adapted to clamp the flexible cable against the neck portion of theassembly in a forward position of the drive member, and means forrotating the drive member selectively in one direction or the otherrelative to the assembly.

16. An arrangement for driving a flexible cable for use in clearingobstructions from a sewer conduit and the like comprising a rotatableassembly for containing a length of flexible cable and having a neckportion with a central aperture through which the flexible cable may befed, means for anchoring one end of the flexible cable to the assembly,a threaded screw holder aflixed to the cage assembly, a drive memberthreaded to engage the screw holder to control the extent of insertionof the drive member within the screw holder, a locking lever attached tothe screw holder and arranged to selectively prevent relative motionbetween the drive member and the holder, the assembly having at leastone opening along its side of sufiicient extent to permit access tooperate the locking lever, a resilient locking member engaging the drivemember at its forward end and adapted to clamp the flexible cableagainst the neck portion of the assembly in a forward position of thedrive member, and means for rotating the drive member and the attachedassembly selectively in order to rotate the flexible cable to clear anobstruction from a sewer conduit, and a stationary shield memberarranged to encompass a substantial portion of the assembly duringrotation thereof.

17 An arrangement in accordance with claim 16 further including meansfor mounting said shield member upon the means for rotating the drivemember.

18. A power driven conduit cleaner snake mechanism comprising: a powertool providing a rotatable drive member; a cable cage assembly having aforward open neck portion; a cable anchored and reeled within the cageassembly, and extending through the neck portion of the cage assembly; adrive screw member having a terminal locking tip and mechanicallycoupled to the drive member of the power tool; a fixed tube mountedabout and extending forwardly from the neck portion of the cable cageassembly; a second, movable tube mounted telescopically on the fixedtube for further forward extension; screw holder means mounted withinthe cable cage assembly for receiving the drive screw in rotatablefashion; and means for selectively locking the drive screw to the screwholder means.

19. An automatic chucking conduit cleaner comprising: a reversible powertool providing a rotatable drive member; a cage assembly having aforward open neck portion and a rear support portion; a cable reeledwithin the cage assembly and extending through the neck portion of thecage assembly; drive screw means coupled to the rotatable drive memberand mounted in the rear support portion of the cage assembly, the drivescrew means being adapted to advance or retract relative to the cageassembly upon rotation therein, the drive screw means including alocking tip adapted to wedge the cable fixedly against the open neckportion of the cage assembly, and means for selectively locking thedrive screw means to the cage assembly to prevent relative rotationthereof.

20. A power driven plumber snake mechanism for clearing conduitscomprising: a power tool including a rotatable drive element; an openfront, snake cage assembly having an inner cone and a forward neckportion having a central aperture; a cable snake anchored in the innercone of the cage assembly and reeled therein, the snake extendingthrough the neck portion of the cage assembly and including a headauger; a first, fixed tube mounted on the forward neck portion of thecage assembly and extending forwardly therefrom; a second, movable tubemounted telescopically on the first fixed tube and arranged to extendfurther forwardly therefrom; a hub-shaped screw holder member mountedcentrally within the inner cone of the snake cage assembly and includinga threaded internal aperture along the central axis of the cageassembly, the screw holder including a longitudinal slot extending alongthe central axis; a drive screw mounted on the drive element of thepower tool, the drive screw including an outer thread mating with thethreaded aperture of the screw holder, the drive screw including alongitudinal slot along at least a portion of the length thereof, andterminating in a pivot ball on the end opposite the end mounted in thechuck; a resilient, bullet-shaped locking member pivotally mounted onthe pivot ball of the drive screw, and having an outer diameter lessthan the internal diameter of the aperture in the screw holder, theresilient member conforming generally to the internal configuration ofthe neck portion of the snake cage assembly; and a locking leverpivotally mounted on the screw holder adjacent the slot therein, thelocking lever being movable in one position of operation into engagementwith the slot in the drive screw, whereby the cage assembly mayselectively be locked to and rotated with the drive screw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,042,407 5/1936Kugelman 15104.3

Asnard 15-1053 Joseph 15104.3

Silverrnan 15-104.3

Carson 15-104.3

Hermanson 15104.3

Allen 15104.3

Silverman 15104.3

10 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, JR., Assistant Examiner.

7. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR DRIVING A FLEXIBLE CONDUIT CLEANER CABLE COMRISINGA CAGE ASSEMBLY FOR CONTAINING A LENGTH OF FLEXIBLE CABLE TO BE USED INCLEARING A CONDUIT, A ROTATABLE DRIVE MEMBER INSERTED WITHIN AND COUPLEDTO THE CAGE ASSEMBLY, THE DRIVE MEMBER BEING MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO THECAGE ASSEMBLY TO PROVIDE DIFFERENT EXTENTS OF INSERTION THEREIN, MEANSMOUNTED ON THE DRIVE MEMBER FOR ENGAGING THE CAGE ASSEMBLY AT A SELECTEDEXTENT OF INSERTION THEREOF, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID DRIVE MEMBER ANDINDEPENDENT OF SAID CAGE ASSEMBLY FOR ROTATING THE DRIVE MEMBER TO THESELECTED EXTENT OF INSERTION, THEREBY TO ROTATE THE DRIVE MEMBER, CABLEAND CAGE ASSEMBLY IN LOCKED RELATION.